The venture building landscape is diverse. Everyone has their own focus, niche, and approach. All are fine; it is up to each builder to discover in which phase they can deliver the most value to entrepreneurs.
Today, we’re zooming in on how Duodeka positions itself in the Venture Builder Landscape.
Firstly, you see how Duodeka (and builders in general) relate to incubators, accelerators, and VCs. We can discuss it, but perhaps we’ll do that another time.
In this discussion, we’re focusing on three dimensions: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 builder 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐬.
1. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭
For the stage of involvement, there are significant differences among builders. Therefore, I have included Matthew Burris‘s categorization. This provides a better understanding of which type of studio operates in which phase.
Duodeka focuses on solving complex problems within organizations. Once a solution is built (and solves the problem as desired), Duodeka starts transforming the solution into a SaaS company. When the venture matures, the level of involvement gradually decreases.
2. 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧
The skills a builder brings on board can vary. This depends on the phase in which the builder is active and the business model of the builder. Some builders focus purely on software development, while others specialize in ideation and validation.
For Duodeka, the full stack venture building team has all the necessary competencies except for sales. For the sales skills, an external entrepreneur will be recruited to take the lead as the venture lead.
3. 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐬
In Builders, we typically observe three entry points for external entrepreneurs. This moment varies for each type of builder.
The entry point at Duodeka differs slightly:
Duodeka solves complex organizational challenges and turns the solution into a scalable SaaS product. After solving the challenge, an external entrepreneur with sales expertise joins the venture builder as the venture lead to take the product to product-market fit and further scale the company.
Of course, builders differ in more ways, including their equity stake, business model/industry focus, and the size of their venture building team.
Resources:
Article of Matthew Burris on founder roles for studios